Blackberries are a well-known, aggregate fruit enjoyed by many throughout the world. One example of an existing blackberry variety is ‘Tupy’, which is a publicly available variety not subject to patent. Another example of an existing, patented blackberry variety is ‘ Navaho’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,679.
Compared to ‘Tupy’, the present cultivar, ‘Emilia’, does not have spines, and the fruits are smaller than ‘Tupy’ (6.1 grams versus 8.0 grams, average). However, the fruits of ‘Emilia’ are longer (2.8 versus 2.4 cm) than ‘Tupy’. In addition, while the acidity and sugar content of the fruits are similar, ‘Emilia’ does not have the bitter aftertaste that ‘Tupy’ has. The fruits of ‘Emilia’ ripen about one week before ‘Tupy’.
Compared to ‘Navaho’, the present cultivar, ‘Emilia’, has vegetative vigor much higher than ‘Navaho’. In the experimental garden in Nogales, Fifth Region, Chile, where both varieties were grown and evaluated, the fruit of ‘Emilia’ was much larger (6.1 g v/s 3.0 g) and longer (2.8 cm v/s 1.5 cm). Fruit of ‘Emilia’ has more acidity and less soluble solids than ‘Navaho’. ‘Emilia’ ripens 5 weeks before ‘Navaho’.
Distinctive characteristics of ‘Emilia’ include its earliness, thornless stems, large sized fruit and sweetness without bitter aftertaste.